The UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar has described a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci as good, noting that they talked about issues to be discussed during her visit to the United States.
 
Spehar, who will be travelling to the United States on Saturday, said after her meeting on Friday with Akinci that during her meetings with US officials she would be discussing the situation in Cyprus and the role of the UN from now on.
                                                           
In New York, she said, she would be meeting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and members of the Security Council, which she would be briefing on January 23.
 
Soon after that, she said, the UN Security Council would be deciding on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and would be passing a resolution.
 
Spehar noted that this was a very important trip and expressed hope that the Security Council would continue to support the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, the two sides, the peace process, and UNFICYP.
 
Furthermore, Spehar said she was satisfied with the meetings she had with Akinci and President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades.
 
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.